Winter in North Mississippi.
NESBIT, Ms.—The best rock n’ roll is dangerous so the tip off you are on the best rock museum tour ever is the dozens of knife marks on the inside bedroom door of the Jerry Lee Lewis Ranch in rural Nesbit, about 20 miles south of Memphis.
And then there are the brass bullet casings on the back porch of the two-story brick house. I’m part of a mid-January tour group with two other Lewis fans so there are enough casings to grab for souvenirs.
The 45-minute tour is led by Jerry Lee Lewis III. He doesn’t seem to mind us picking up the blasts from the past.
The small $45 private tours are by appointment [...]
Ray and Wilma Yoder, Cracker Barrel and RV fans (Courtesy of Cracker Barrel)
GOSHEN, IND.—-Ray and Wilma Yoder watch the world roll by from the front porch of their 85-year-old farm house on County Road 34 in Goshen, Ind. While sitting next to each other on a twin rocking chair, Ray and Wilma wave to Amish neighbors who hold tight reins on their horse and carriage. Truckers and cars go too fast for this thin stretch of rural highway about 25 minutes southwest of Elkhart.
You see, Ray and Wilma always move in modest directions.
They met in 1953 in baptismal class at a Mennonite (new order Amish) church [...]
Canadian sunsets (D. Hoekstra photo)
TROIS-RIVIERES, QUEBEC, CANADA—Like all great tiki establishments, the Hotel-Motel Coconut remains true to its original vision.
Gerry and Madelaine Landry opened the Coconut in 1961 in Trois-Riviers (Three-Rivers), a 90 mile drive north of Montreal. They wanted the Coconut to capture the spirit of their Tahitian honeymoon.
Amazingly, the place hasn’t changed much in 56 years
Current owner Valerie Boisvert looked around the dark 180-seat Coconut bar that is loaded with rattan chairs, totem poles, tiki statues and shell lamps. “They brought all this back from [...]
PEORIA, Ill .–The earth moves but it doesn’t shift quite as fast in Peoria, Ill.
As you roll into Peoria on I-74 across the Illinois River, you are met by a humble skyline that consists of the 50-year old Mark Twain Hotel, AFL-CIO headquarters and Caterpillar headquarters. Nestled beneath all that faded promise, like nuggets of gold in a stream, is Jim’s Steakhouse–or Jim’s as locals call it.
Jim’s has been around since 1960. The late Peoria Chiefs owner Pete Vonachen, his baseball bud Harry Caray and Peoria native Jack Brickhouse were Jim’s regulars. I’ve been going to watch Midwest League baseball in Peoria since 1985 when [...]